"The nation’s largest insurers, which include giant for-profit companies like Anthem, CVS Health and UnitedHealth, reported billions of dollars in profits last year, and analysts say these companies have abundant capital to absorb any losses because of the pandemic"

". Lee warned that insurers are likely to seek rates that are double their additional costs from the virus. If their costs go up 20 percent, Mr. Lee says rates could jump as much as 40 percent in 2021."

I don't get the impression that paying medical staff for working even registers in this equation.

Or nationalize the insurance companies and set up a national health service.

The 2nd amendment doesn't force gun owners to be open 24/7/365 to fulfill your right to guns.

Universal healthcare wouldn't force doctors to work overtime for free.

This assumes that nothing in the medical field will change.

In most professions, an increase in demand would cause wages to increase, which would cause more people to flock to the profession.

Medicine has intentionally put barriers up to prevent more people from entering the field. But then, when the shortages are pointed out, they throw up their hands.

You can't tell me that everyone needs to go $100K's in debt and devote 10 years of medical school/residency to be able to practice family medicine. But the people who are benefitting from this system (the doctors who already went through the training and loans) aren't willing to change it.

Or they could pull money out of thin air and give it to the doctors and nurses instead of sinking it into the stock market.